David Chalmin — La Terre Invisible

Talented producer, engineer, composer, and member of Triple Sun, David Chalmin had yet to have his music as a solo act released. Thankfully, Ici d'ailleurs saw this hole in his repertoire, and came to the rescue with the release of La Terre Invisible. A wondrous mix of dance and ambient, Chalmin's solo debut is an eye opening electronic composition that moves, dodges, and defies categorization. Is it a soundtrack? Is it IDM? Is it future/retro/whatever wave? It doesn't matter, because it's smooth, lush, and supremely enjoyable.

La Terre Invisible is a very interesting beast in its ability to straddle multiple styles of music and mood, allowing layers to do their own things, and managing to stay coherent. If split, some tracks feel like two completely different songs played on top of each other, but it doesn't matter because David Chalmin makes it work...very well. Soft bits of electronica swirl forth and grow into a delicate, trancing being that takes the listeners hand and leads him/her to a sprawling display screen, dancing (somewhat) all the way. La Terre Invisible is fairly cinematic in its scope, and one can picture the film unfolding before his/her eyes. Delightful blends of blockbuster, horror, and sci-fi make up the meat of Chalmin's solo debut, and this commitment to non-commitment keeps La Terre Invisible continually engaging. Not allowing the album to be pigeonholed keeps the listener on alert and stops unavoidable prejudging. The unknown factor in each song and the change of tone between each track allows the brain to focus on the music at hand, enjoy each change, embrace each surprise, and appreciate the album as a whole. Because of this, La Terre Invisible feels like an EP (despite the LP run time), and begs for repeated plays during a sitting.

Although he's been around the block and has had his hand in many works and releases, 2019 sees David Chalmin's first solo release, La Terre Invisible, via Ici d'ailleurs. An intriguing display of varied electronic styles, Chalmin's solo debut stays with the listener for its entire run time and leads him/her on an exciting journey. Feeling quick enough to bear repeated listens during each sitting, La Terre Invisible is a delightful blend suitable for any occasion.